With incidents like these, it’s easy to understand why Electronic Arts is being proactive and hosting a panel on Homophobia & Virtual Communities with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation this weekend. The event will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Electronic Arts HQ, 250 Shoreline Drive in Redwood City. It’s sure to be an interesting talk with panelists such as Flynn DeMarco, founder of GayGamer.net; Caryl Shaw, senior producer at the Maxis Studio; and Stephen Toulouse, of Xbox Live.

According to Shaw, “The main goal of this event is that we’re trying to open the discussion with GLAAD. We really want to listen to hear what they’re saying for people who come to our site and play our games.”

She talked about how in online communities friendly conversation between players sometimes devolves into trash talking and escalates into flame wars. And that war of words often leads to an uncomfortable gaming environment for others.

Personally, when I hear folks talking about homphobia in gaming, I think of this video. It documents what happens when someone with xxxGayBoyxxx as a Gamertag starts playing Halo on Xbox Live. The results ain’t pretty, and it goes to show that when it comes to respecting gays and lesbians, some players have a long way to go.

And this panel could definitely be a good start. Shaw said, “It’s a great step and good direction. It’s talking about issue and getting things on table.”